I re-read Hamlet after 15 years. Now, with some additional accumulated wisdom, I was able to see glimpses of why this is considered to be Shakespeare’s magnum opus. When Achilles slaughters Hector, he is consumed by vengeance and glory. Divine punishment or suffering in the afterlife had little meaning for him. The Homeric Greek heroes … Continue reading Hamlet
Sound of Music: I realized that visiting Salzburg without watching the ‘Sound of Music’ would be unthinkable. So here I was, in my 41st year, watching something that should have been done in the first decade of my life. The shocking realization was that most of the songs in the movie were the ones that … Continue reading What I Watched – June 2025
Ikiru: This 1952 Kurosawa movie is probably one of the best movies to be made on bureaucracy. A paper pusher, on receiving a cancer diagnosis, decides that getting a pending application for a children's park cleared, would be the greatest achievement of his life. And his tireless efforts moving from department to department form the … Continue reading What I Watched – May 2025
You need money to run a country. And if you’re managed by Communist Russia, it’s just a matter of time before the you go bust. In the 80s, East Germany (or the German Democratic Republic (GDR)) faced this predicament and resorted to all possible ways to manage this crisis. Two fascinating exports were arms and … Continue reading ‘Comrades and Cash’
“Two unlikely foes end up in love, and all ends well, after the hero, who is treacherously made to assume that his fiancée is unfaithful, repents when the culprits are caught.” This can be a one-line summary of Shakespeare’s ‘Much Ado About Nothing’. I could easily think of so many Bollywood movies around this plot. … Continue reading Much Ado About Nothing
Apparently, this is what qualifies as a pastoral comedy – one which has a countryside setting, rustic simpletons and displays a clash between the cosmopolitans and the rest. Of all of Shakespeare’s plays, AYLI is the most representative of this genre. I understand why this is not rated as among his best. The bard's fascination … Continue reading As You Like It
Sector 36: Watched it with my cousins during my trip to Palakkad. Massey, with his baby face, was a wrong choice to play this real-life monster. Alaipayuthe: When I returned, Sruthi was midway through this with the kids. The pulsing energy of this movie still makes it as refreshing as it was when it came … Continue reading What I Watched – April 2025
I’ve been reading up on the Cold War and the Iron Curtain and naturally ended up shortlisting John le Carre’s Karla Trilogy - Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Honorable Schoolboy and Smiley’s People – for a reread. While James Bond was dashing, sophisticated, and sensual, le Carre’s George Smiley is a senior retired bureaucrat, cuckolded … Continue reading le Carré’s ‘The Karla Trilogy’
Soon after finishing ‘Twelfth Night’, I watched the 1996 movie adaptation by Trevor Nunn and was better able to appreciate the play. Four hundred years before gender, queerness and homoerotic love became a fad, we have the Bard tackling all these themes in a comedy without breaking a sweat. That said, I found the plot … Continue reading Twelfth Night
The Brutalist: I wonder if this was the longest movie that I’ve ever watched in a cinema. The movie was good but not great. After a month, thinking about it, only Felicity Jones’ character comes to my mind. Day of the Jackal: Undoubtedly, the best thriller that I’ve watched in ages. I just love these … Continue reading What I Watched – March 2025
